Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said Sunday his plan for universal health care would require higher taxes and cost up to $120 billion year.

The Edwards plan would:

Provide health care coverage for the 47 million people who currently lack it and reduce the cost of health care coverage for middle-class families, partly by making health care programs more efficient.

Expand Medicaid and a program that now provides coverage to 6 million people, mostly children, and provide federal health care subsidies.

Require employers to play a bigger role, either by offering coverage or buying into "health markets" that would include a government plan.

Edwards said he would free up money for health care coverage by abolishing President George W. Bush's tax cuts for people who make more than $200,000 a year and by having the government collect more back taxes.